Be Here for Me
by Demon Green Wolf
Summary: What does it take to show how much a person cares for another? Simple. All you have to do is be there for them.
1. Chapter One

_"Based on the tests we have conducted, the results are clear. I'm sorry to inform you, but you have stage 4 breast cancer."_

Her whole world stopped when she heard that. There she was, a divorced thirty-nine year old woman with two kids, with breast cancer. She had never expected it to happen to her. She could see the doctor give her a sympathetic look, before explaining a few things to her. She couldn't hear her, though. She could see the doctor's mouth moving, but at that point, all she could think about was how unfair the world was being to her.

She felt someone giving her a supportive squeeze on her shoulder, and she looked up, seeing her brother looking down at her with a supportive smile he always gives her. It gave her comfort, but she couldn't hide her disappointment. She knew she shouldn't be, but she was newly divorced, after all. Everytime somebody gave her support, she would just be there, wishing that a certain somebody was the one giving her the support she needed. The person she thought would be there for her forever.

Somewhere along the lines the doctor must have noticed how she wasn't listening, because she stopped talking and just gave her a pitying look.

"I know it's a lot to take in. How about we reschedule this for tomorrow. I advice you to tell the people close to you, just so they could prepare themselves."

She just nodded, before standing on her two wobbly legs. Her brother immediately gave her his arm to hold on to for support. They walked out of the doctor's office together, their entire plans for that morning completely forgotten, as Blade led his sister back to his car.

As soon as they were in, the tears began to fall, no matter how much Buttercup tried to surpress it. Her brother just hugged her, letting her cry her eyes out, trying to comfort her as best as he could as she sobbed her heart out.

"Why me?"

It was just two words, but her brother's heart broke as she whispered it on his shoulder. His sister, of all the people, why did it have to be his sister? He combed his fingers through his hair, as his other hand continued to hold on to her shoulder tightly, as if afraid she would suddenly disappear.

"What am I going to tell the kids?"

Brian and Brianna. Oh, god, how could he forget them? How could he tell them that their mother could be close to dying? How could he even look at them without breaking down?

"Shhh. It's going to be okay."

They both know that was a lie, but for now, they just wanted to be in their safe bubble, free from her cancer, away from her failed marriage, away from her ex-husband. She just wanted to be happy. She wanted to finally be free of all her pent up emotions, arguing within her, fighting with her heart, squeezing her oxygen right out of her. She just wanted _peace_. What did she do to deserve all this?

Blade held her until her sobs quiet down, until the shaking of her shoulders would stop, until her tears stopped flowing. They then just sat there in silence. Blade drove her home, while she had to battle her emotions away from her thoughts.

What should she do? Tell her kids?Tell her other brothers? Her friends? Her ex-husband? How should she even tell them?

When they reached her house, Blade quickly got out and opened the door for her. He then made sure to hold her hand as they entered her house. Buttercup felt numb at that point. As soon as they entered her house, the first thing in her mind was death. This time, it didn't make her close to tears. No more worries about what could happen to you. No more disappointments. No more pain. She just wanted to get away from it all, but the moment her eyes landed on her kid's pictures, she didn't think she could go and leave them behind.

She was a mother. Her babies' needs come first, no matter what. She knew what it was like to live without a mother, and she didn't want that to happen to her own kids.

Blade sat her down, before going to her kitchen to make tea. When he came back to the living room, he saw Buttercup holding a photo of Brian and Brianna. He smiled a little at that. He gently placed the cup of tea on the table in order to not surprise her.

They just sat there, the silence peaceful. Comforting. Much more comforting than the fact that loomed over Buttercup's head. The picture of the twins was the only thing that kept her grounded. She smiled a sad, broken smile. She didm't know how long she would get to live. She didn't even know if she wanted to live. Her babies, oh, her babies were already teenagers. Time flew too fast, she barely noticed that small fact. Her babies were living with their father, a man she hadn't seen for three months. He would take care of them. He already has a girlfriend that could be their future mother. He didn't need her anymore. Her brothers already have families of their own. She already reached her dreams by becoming the owner of multiple gyms in the city. The people who knew her would mourn, but in the end, they'll let learn to move on. Her ex-husband did. They'd learn to let go.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

That's the question. The question she didn't know the answer to. Or maybe she did, but she couldn't tell her brother. She didn't think he'd understand. On the other hand, she and the rest of them had been with her for years. Maybe he would understand. Maybe. Just not yet.

"I don't know."

Blade knew she would say that. He wouldn't know what to do if he was in her position, too. He can see it, though. A resolve in her eyes. The thing with their family, words never really held any deep meaning in them. Actions were all they ever sought out for. Words can be twisted and changed, it can be a lie, and it can be the truth. Actions never lie, though. It tells the truth no matter what. He just wished his sister didn't need to learn it the hard way.

"Whatever you decide to do, I'll support you through and through."

She just smiled at that. A small smile, but so full of gratitude. That was all she ever wanted. A person that could be there for her, no matter what. It was all she ever needed, a bond that would never break.

"I don't want them to know."

He figured as much. His sister always tried to act tough, pretending her problems don't faze her, ignoring the screams of her emotions. What she didn't know was that he could read her like a book. He knew she used to keep her heart in her hand as tightly as she could, only to be touched by those she trusted the most. Now it was battered and bruised, and laid out for all to see.

"Then I promise not to tell, until you're ready."

He placed an arm on her shoulder, and she leaned close to him, as they both allowed themselves to allow the calm feeling around them. The calm before the storm.

 **o O o**

Butch pulled away from the kiss as he took a few deep breathes to compose himself. The girl he was kissing looked thoroughly annoyed, as she tried to capture his lips once again. He allowed it, letting him feel around her body as they continued to have fun without any worries of his wife, his _ex-wife_ entering the office.

" _Butch._ " Her moans filled the air as he kissed her neck, grinding her as she began to untie his neck tie. It used to have made him happy to know that she couldn't wait for him to take her in the office. It used to made him feel pleasure as he watched her come undone. So why the fuck didn't he feel the rush he used to feel? Why the fucking hell did it felt so wrong?

The knocking of the door gave him a reason to push her away. They quickly fixed themselves, before Butch told them to enter.

His two kids appeared, their faces grim when they saw the woman standing next to him. It was no secret they knew what they were doing earlier, just like it wasn't a secret how much they despised him and her.

"Brian, Brianna. What can I do for you?" He winced as soon as he said that. These days, he acted less of a father and more like a principal, or a business man. They didn't seem to mind that fact. In fact, they were the first ones that started acting less like his own children and more like employees.

"Well, you could always give our mother full custody, sir. That way, we won't have to come here every weekend to cockblock you." Brian said, his tone as cold as the eyes in his father's cup of wine.

"You shouldn't talk to your father like that, Brian, that's disrespectful." The woman said, using a voice normally used by a disappointed parent scolding her child. That just made them stiffen, and they both glared at her with as much hate as they could muster.

"You're not our mother. You don't have the right to tell us what to do." Brianna's cold voice, filled with so much anger, made Butch flinch a bit. She used to be the brightest, warmest person he ever known. Now she acted like ice, cold and rigged.

"I'm not your mother yet, honey. You'd better start getting used to me being here, though. We are going to be a family soon, after all." The woman smiled at Butch, who just looked at his kids, his lights of the world, now as cold and as unwelcoming as a blizard.

"Even if you get married to Butch, you still wouldn't be our mother. After all, he doesn't have the right to be our father anymore." Brian spat, before turning around, his sister following. He then turned around, looking at the man he onced called father. The man he once thought was his hero. The man who was now nothing to him and his sibling. "We will be in our rooms, treat us like we aren't here. That should be easy for you, after all, you treated our mother the same."

He then slammed the door shut, leaving Butch alone with the woman. She used to make everytging easier for him, but now, she made everything harder.

"Why don't you just give _her_ full custody. After all, as soon as we get married, we'll have kids of our own." She then wrapped her hands around his neck, kissing him on the cheek. He didn't answer her, he just stared at the doorway, where his children used to be.

Did he really made a mistake?


	2. Chapter Two

Brianna always believed in love. Ever since she was a little girl, she had seen how much her parents adored each other. They always had a smile on their faces whenever they looked at each other, or even talk about each other. She really thought she was one of the lucky ones, the one that didn't have to worry about her family falling apart. She truly believed that they would be a happy family forever.

Then her father had to just throw everything away, and for what, a different woman? A bitch who could never be as beautiful, or as amazing as her own mother? Everything was going so well, then her father, no, that _sperm_ donator, just had to decide that her mother wasn't enough. She wasn't that naive, she knew that men cheated on their wives almost all the time, or vice versa, but she thought, she truly _believed_ her parents' love for each other was stronger than any temptation. She truly believed they would last forever.

The day he started working late at night should have been the first clue, but she always believed his lies, how his work had been piling up, how he didn't want to, but he had to for the sake of his business. How stupid she was to believe his lies.

Her second clue was the fact that he never looked at her mother the way he usually did. No, no love, no adoration, no joy, nothing. She convinced herself that they might've just had an argument, after all, no relationship doesn't have a few bumps on the road, but she began to notice how he looked at his co-worker, that digusting red haired bitch. How he looked at her, it disgusted Brianna every single time.

She still remembered that day, the day she opened her eyes to the sound of her mother sobbing. How she went to her parents' room to check on her, only to be outside as she saw what was being played on the TV screen. How her father loved another woman in his own office. And her mother saw it all.

The look on her mother's face, gone was the sparkle of life, gone were the smiles she usually had on to greet her. Instead, all that was left was a sorrowful, pained, and regretful woman. Divorce was certain at that point.

Still, it didn't give her any pleasure as her father signed the divorce papers, nor did it gave her any joy as that bitch smirked a victory smirk, and it certainly didn't give her anything to smile about as she watched her mother wither away, from a strong woman, to a dried, fragile flower.

The first week was the hardest, always waking up to the sound of her mother's soft cries, always having to endure the pitying looks of her neighbors and classmates, and always having to endure the forced smiles her mother gave, just to make her feel even a little bit better. She watched as her mother secretly hugged her father's shirt once she thought everyone was asleep, how she held on to the ring as if it was her only saving grace, how she always had these vacant eyes, looking at her, but at the same time, not really at her.

As the weeks turned to months, she watched as her mother slowly started to build herself up again. She kept everything that could remind her of her husband in a box, and placed it in the attic, she began to smile more, she even had a bit of twinkle in her eye every time she looked at her.

Brianna wanted to be with her mother. She didn't want to be here, with that bastard and that bitch. Her mother is all she could ever hold onto now. She and her brother and her relatives are her only family now. That man could die in an accident and she wouldn't give a damn. He could marry that bitch and she wouldn't bat an eye. He could disown them and she wouldn't even care. Her mother is everything now, and she wouldn't care about anything else that man did, as long as it didn't hurt her mom.

Butch and Berserk could go to hell, in her opinion. That's where all cheaters go, and right now Brianna feels like they deserve to go there as soon as possible.

 **o O o**

Blossom can't believe what she was reading. She can't. She was reading the same words, over and over, like she was hoping tha maybe she had an eye defect and she wasn't really reading it correctly. Maybe the words would change if she could just read it one more time.

It didn't, though. She just stared at those words on the newspaper, her heart hurting for her friend. Her husband, Brick, surprised her by kissing her neck, which resulted into her almost jabbing him in his stomach.

"Feisty today, I see." He teased her, before kissing her forehead. It was then that he noticed how she wasn't smiling like she used to. She looked shocked, and hurt, and he was almost in the verge of apologizing when Blossom gave him the newspaper.

He looked confused at first, but when he read the headlines, he almost doubled over in shock.

 **"Butch Sanders, Spotted with a New Woman."**

"That fucking bastard." Brick cursed. Blossom looked on the verge to either cry her heart out or to grab Brick's gun and start shooting.

"How, how could he? That-that. What about Buttercup? What about _her?!_ She doesn't deserve-oh Butters." Blossom felt the urge. The urge to wrap Buttercup up in a soft blanket and keep her safe.

She had alway been the most motherly out of all of them, even though she never had a child of her own. She decided to give Buttercup and Bubbles all her motherly love and care, and right now, her heart was breaking for one of her best friends. She felt like she needed to be there for her.

It wasn't a secret that Butch and Buttercup's divorce had something to do with a third party. Blossom could see it in Buttercup's eyes, the way it subconsciously looks at the mirrors, as if searching for a reason. A reason as to why her ex-husband found someone else. She could prsctically hear her thoughts.

 _Was she not pretty enough? Kind enough? Encouraging enough? Simply enough for him?_

Those thoughts made Blossom want to tear that man apart. Before that, though...

"We should go check on her. She might need us to be there for her."

Brick could only nod as he watched his wife searching for the keys to the car. Buttercup was strong, but was she strong enough to handle the news? The news that her husband's mistress finally decided to appear, in public without any shame?


	3. Chapter Three

Buttercup didn't leave her house for a week. She just didn't feel like it, and it wasn't just because of the cancer. She was just sitting on her couch, looking at the newspaper laying on her table, the same words looking right back at her, almost taunting her.

 **Butch Sanders...New Woman.** New woman. Butch Sanders with a new woman. Butch. Her Butch. With a new woman.

It had been a daily mantra, repeating those words in her head over and over. She felt like throwing up, again, not because of the cancer. The picture at the bottom of the headlines showed a woman with red hair being kissed by Butch. The same lips she kissed, the same ones she thought would be kissing her and only her, kissing a different woman. It was self-torture in its pure form.

She closed her eyes, feeling her mending heart suddenly breaking down to pieces again. She knew she shouldn't let it affect her, she _knew_ , but she couldn't help it. She was still in love with him. That bastard of a cheater, that sinful devil, the man that hung up the stars in her world, at the same time, the one that burned her world down.

She needed to drink something. Preferably something bitter and strong. She stood up, but just before heading to the kitchen she heard a kmock on the door. For one, stupid, fleeting moment, she expected it to be Butch, but she shook off the mere thought.

 _He's with someone else. He won't come back to me. Stop thinking, stop_ hoping _he'd come back. It's only going to hurt you even more._

Their was a second knock, and that was all she needed to snap out of it. She cautiously opened the door, and she was relieved to see who it was. Granted, they haven't seen each other in a while, but it felt good to see a familiar face.

"Hi, Mitch. Long time, no see."

 **o O o**

Mitch immediately noticed how frail Buttercup was. She was wearing an ankle-length dress, something the old Buttercup would have destroyed if it were given to her, but he was glad she wore it. It was easier for him to see how much she really needed him, and even if it was a bad thing, he was glad. He could finally help her, just like how she helped him.

"Yeah, can I come in?"

She opened the door wider, welcoming him. He half expected there to be bottles everywhere, but he was surprised to see that the place was clean. Not something a usual broken person's place looked like, but then again, not everyone was like him before. He scanned the place, noticing that the pictures that was usually hung on the walls were now scarce, the only pictures left were the pictures of her kids.

"Can I get you anything? Water, coffee?" Buttercup asked, her voice softer than it usually was, and it was lacking the usual lively tone. God, how he missed that tone of her voice.

"Nah, I'm good, but to be honest, I thought I was going to enter a room full of bottles of beer."

She chuckled a bit, the same chuckle that made him want to hear it again. It was soft, tinkling sound, and it surprised him how a girl with so much spunk could sound so sweet and gentle. Then again, messy break-ups change people.

He sat on her couch, and she sat next to him, looking at him with a small smile on her face. It made him remember the good old days, when she used to have a huge cheeky smile. Now a man took away that cheeky grin. A man took away everything that made her _her_ with just one betrayal. That thought made his heart fill with rage, how a man like Butch could ever leave a woman like her.

 _It's his lost._ He thought. _He decided to chase fool's gold when he already had a treasure people like me would kill for. I'm not going to make the same mistake. I'll guard the abandoned treasure and give her back her lustre and sparkle again._

"So, what exactly made you come all the way from Tokyo?" She asked, but he knew she knew why. Why he left his job after hearing the news. He didn't make much of an effort to hide how he felt about her, even though she once misunderstood and thought of him as another brother that loved her platonically.

"I heard."

That was all he needed to say, really. Those two words were met with an uncomfortable silence. She looked at him straight in the eye, before she sighed.

"Go ahead, say it."

He frowned, confused, so she continued, "Tell me you told me so, that he wouldn't really change for me. Tell me that it was all a mistake, and that you were right all along. Tell me-"

He didn't allow her to finish her sentence. He hugged her, getting her to stop blabbering. He smelt the salty tears that fell from her face. He rubbed her back, comforting her, as she tried to stop her tears. She took a few calming breaths, and she leaned on him.

"Why couldn't I have fallen in love with you instead?"

Those words...years ago it would have made him want to bury himself. She didn't love her, but she wanted to. It would have occupied his thoughts for years. Now he just wanted to bury that bastard alive. He took her, played with her, and made her into a shell of her former self before leaving her for some other girl to play with.

"I'll help you. If you want me to, I can help you learn to love me." He whispered in her ear.

She buried her face on his shoulders, fully leaning on him, and he took that as an answer. He leaned on the couch, pulling her to his chest, whispering sweet nothings in her ear, making known all the things he loved about her, everything he thought about her, and she laid on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. It beats for her. It was hers. She wanted to give him the same thing. She wanted to give him her heart, but the same doubts entered her mind.

Would he even want a heart that was already broken, battered and used?


	4. Chapter Four

In some ways, agreeing with Mitch was a good thing. When he found out about the problem, he became a very sweet, though extremely overprotective person. He was there to help her get out of her bed, down the stairs and into the kitchen. He cooked for them almost every day. He was there for her. Just like she needed someone to be.

In some ways, though, agreeing with him didn't really feel as good. She kept comparing him to a certain somebody, from the way he cooked to the way he comforted her. She felt like she was using him, and that made her feel guilty. She was trying, though. Trying to make her heart feel something for him. Unfortunately, all she felt for him was a sibling-like bond, the same as always. She wanted to feel something deeper, but deep in her heart, she could feel the yearning. The yearning to be with Butch.

Ever since Mitch came back into her life, she kept all the pictures of her and Butch safely underneath her bed. She didn't buy any business magazines, knowing his face would pop up one way or another. She made Mitch look at the newspaper before even reading it herself.

She wanted him, though. She wanted him, but he didn't want her, and if that redheaded bitch was his preference, then so be it. She didn't want to be like one of those divorced women who get drunk and mope and lose themselves over losing their husbands, but every single day without him made her feel insecure and worthless.

Ever since the divorce, she started to hate her reflection. She could hear it in her head, mocking her, telling her she wasn't good enough. At times, she learned to ignore the voices, but sometimes, looking at a mirror, she could see why he left. Why would anyone want her, anyway? She could see the stretch marks from her pregnancy, how she gained weight, how plain her hair was, and how dull her eyes where.

Why would anyone choose plain old her over Berserk, a sexy, thin, wild haired, bright eyed girl? Why would they go for her when they could get the next new thing?

Mitch caught her like that, staring at the mirror, with a look of disgust and self ridicule as she glared at herself. He turned the mirror around.

He then hugged her, rubbed her back, and murmured sweet words, bringing her back to reality. A reality were someone actually wanted her. A reality where he was there for her, holding her like she was a precious gem, afraid that she would disappear. She returned the hug, holding him just as tight. He was her anchor. He made her feel special. He made her feel... _loved._

This is why she tries. She tries hard to change her heart's mind. Why cry for a traitor, a heartbreaker, when someone was already there for you? Why beg for a person to come back, when you already have a person thst would actually wait for you? Why question it?

Maybe it was a second chance. Her own second chance. Maybe the world was giving her a chance to be with him. She was glad. Someone cared. Someone loved her with all his heart. Someone who would't abandon her. Someone who would actually be there for her.

She smiled on his chest. Yes. She will learn to love him. She will learn to feel the same way he does. In the end, she just really wanted to feel something true. Something she thought she had experienced years ago.

For both their sakes, she will try.

 **o O o**

Butch was clutching onto her. He was clutching on to her as she held on to him, too. They were, for once, not having sex. They were just...there. Beside each other, feeling each other.

Butch should be happy. He should be fucking proud of himself, having a sexy as fuck woman in his arms. Her arms wrspped around her should make him feel blissful. But why the hell did her touch made him feel dirty?

As he continued to rub her soft, flawless back, his eyes couldn't help but wonder back to a certain woman. She wouldn't have had such soft skin. She was a fighter, her skin littered with tiny scars in almost every part of her body.

As the woman he was with began whisper dirty things in his ear, things that she wanted for him to do, instead of having a hard-on, he began to remember his ex-wife's face, how red it would turn when he would whisper sweet things to her. How she would scowl, her face as red as a tomato, as she tried to whack him with anything close to her reach. He would chuckle as he quickly take the object from her, before placing it down and lifting her up, kissing her lips.

He blinked, before trying to push away the memories of her. Why the fuck would he even think of that? He was free. He was a fucking free man, for crying out loud! He shouldn't think of her in that light, not now.

He kissed the woman he was with, she groaned in delight, kissing him back. He tried to forget her, but instead of seeing the woman's sexy body, instead of seeing Berserk's face as he began to fuck her, he saw Buttercup's. He imagined it was her. All of a sudden, he knew he was fucked.


	5. Chapter Five

It shocked Brian, to say the least. As soon as he entered the house, he expected his mother to be sitting on the couch, staring at a wall, or a picture with a sad, sorrowful look in her eyes. He expected her to have "forgotten" to eat again, and would have made a meal for her to eat. It was a surprise, a good one, when he saw her smile at him, at them the moment they entered the house. She looked...well. She didn't have the same puffy eyes she had every single time he looked at her, nor did she had sunken cheeks from not eating anything in a week. In fact, she looked like she gained weight instead of losing it. It made him happy, so happy to see the improvement.

Ever since that man left, he watched as her mother "forget" to eat anything, how his mother seemed to be extremely busy every single breakfast, lunch and dinner. He had to threaten her to eat sometimes, telling her that if she wouldn't eat, they wouldn't either. Getting her to eat a couple of spoonfulls was a full-blown miracle. Now, he could see some of her weight returning, and thought it would have made some people angry or frustrated, watching someone they love gain weight they were trying to lose, it made him delirously happy.

There was another surprise he didn't expect, though. It came in an orange faded shirt with the words "Mitch Rocks", jogging pants, and a mousy brown hair. If he were eight years old, he would have hated Mitch, the man that had been trying to woo her mother for years. He would've thrown a fit, demanding him to leave. Now that he was more mature, he would have begged him to stay.

Mitch didn't try hiding his feelings for his mom. Heck, a blind person could have noticed. He helped her almost every time she asked, everything free of charge. His eyes turned soft whenever he looked at her, like a puppy staring at his master. His eyes turned cold whenever that man was around her, holding his mother, kissing her. All in all, it was like he was destined to be a villain in his parents' love story.

He could see that the wonderful changes he could see in his mother, although small and almost unnoticeable to other people, were Mitch's doing. Mitch, the guy he hated for years, the guy he thought was a villain in his parents' marriage, had turned into his saviour. He would have hugged him, thanked him, heck, he'd beg for forgiveness for what he did to him before.

His mother must have noticed how he was studying Mitch, and she quickly stepped in, thinking he would throw a teenage fit.

"Mitch is only going to stay here for a few weeks because of business, the hotel he booked was full, and-"

"It's fine mom." Brian smiled, his heart filled with joy seeing her mother actually talking in full sentences. "He can stay and keep you company while we're in school. Besides, its been years since you guys seen each other. You guys can catch up."

He should know how many years they hadn't spoken to each other. He was the cause of it, after all. His sister seemed to have understood where he was getting at, and quickly joined him.

"We're going to our rooms to sleep. It was a long journey. You guys can eat without us."

Brianna quickly pulled him away from the living room, leaving the two adults to do...whatever it was they were doing before they came.

Brianna quickly pulled Brian to her room, before shutting the door. They stared at each other, both knowing what the other was thinking.

"He wouldn't hurt our mother."

"He tries to make us happy, despite how we tried to chase him out of our life."

"He got her to eat food."

"He made her speak in full sentences."

It was just like that, they began to see him as a possible candidate. A person that could help heal their mother's heart.

Brian's eyes caught the picture. The picture of their family in a picnic together, only that man's head was cut off, only showing him, his twin, and his mother, smiling happily. Like everything was perfect. A beautiful calm before the storm. He could see Mitch replacing that man. It would take time, and Mitch had lots of patience. It can happen. His mother would smile like that again.

All they needed was time.

 **o O o**

Butch was looking at it again. Somehow, he found it, buried under his old junk underneath his bed. He'd been able to throw away almost everything from his past. Everything but the pictures. He couldn't have been able to throw it away. It was just...too cruel.

He stared at the photo, how they looked so happy. Together, the entire family. He was damn happy, smiling like a fool, his arms wrapped around her waist protectively. She had one hand on his arm, rubbing it affectionately, while the other one was on her swollen belly. It was her seventh month. She was as big as a house, and yet, looking at her, all motherly and loving, made something inside him come alive. She looked...beautiful. Not hot, not sexy, just beautiful. She had a certain glow all pregnant women had. It just made her shine in his eyes.

The next photo was of both of them in the hospital, her looking so tired, yet so blissfully happy made his heart ache. They were holding the twins for the first time. He held onto Brianna, while she held onto Brian. He was so fucking happy, looking at Brianna's face for the first time, holding his-no, _their_ baby for the first time.

The other photos were showing them as a family, amusement parks, plays, family outings, but his personal favorite was when they went to the picnic. Buttercup's smiled so widely that day, he was proud, so proud to make her show her teeth. His kids where there with him, both showing the same wide smile that made him almost laugh. Where were those smiles now?

He smiled so fucking wide that day, too. He was happy then. Content. Free. Then Berserk came.

His smile dimmed. No matter how hard he tried to imagine it, he couldn't see Berserk do any of the things he and Buttercup did together. He couldn't see Berserk climb a mountain, or go to football matches, or even eat steak with him. He can't even see himself telling her he love her. He doesn't see it. Sure they had fun sex, but other than her giving him releases, he never really thought of her as anything but a good fuck.

Looking at those pictures, he can see it. He can see how happy he was, how free he was. It was too late for regrets, though. She would never take him back, anyway. He sighed as he placed the photos into the box, where they belonged. His favorite photo, though, didn't enter the box. Instead, he held onto it, like it was his life force. It was the first time, he fell asleep without the need for Berserk.


End file.
